Not Just a Suit of Armor
by alightintheshadows
Summary: It was easy to forget that Alphonse Elric couldn't get taken down by a bullet. Parental!RoyAl.


**Hello! Here is a little one-shot I thought of and decided to make a reality! In my opinion, there is just not enough Parental!RoyAl fanfics out there. There are some and they are fantastic, but there needs to be more. Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I really wish I did.**

"Al, why do we even need to be here?" Ed whined in the previously quiet waiting room.

If Al had his body, he would have rolled his eyes.

"For the last time, brother, we need to see if Colonel Mustang is going to be okay!"

"He was able to walk to the car. He's going to be fine!"

"He couldn't have if Lieutenant Hawkeye wasn't helping him!" The suit of armor huffed. "If all you're going to do is whine, then go back to the dorms. I'm staying here until I know he's okay!"

There was a finality to Al's voice that caused Ed's eyes to widen and signaled the end of this discussion. His brother had only raised his voice on a handful of occasions, after all. Crossing his arms, he slouched back down in the chair. The brothers were silent as they waited for any word on Mustang's condition.

Al sighed and stared down at his massive hands.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was just a simple mission to catch a few robbers. The Colonel shouldn't have wound up in the hospital.

Not for him.

 _ ***flashback***_

" _C'mon, Al! They're heading around back!"_

" _Shouldn't we wait for back up?" he couldn't help but ask. "Those were the Colonel's orders, after all!"_

" _Screw his orders! We don't have time to wait if we want to catch these guys!"_

 _He risked a glance behind him and saw a few cars pull in front of the bank before racing after his brother. It's as if everything the Colonel tells him goes in one ear and right out the other. These men were armed according to the tip Eastern Command had received._

 _That didn't stop Ed from running out of the office before Mustang could even finish giving orders to his men. He barely heard the Colonel telling them to wait as he tried to catch up to his brother._

 _He scanned the shadows as they ran, looking for any sign of their culprits._

" _There they are!" Ed yelled when they turned down the street._

 _Blue light illuminated the dimly lit street as Ed slammed his hands on the ground and encased the three running men in a concrete fist. He stopped when he reached his brother._

" _Aren't there supposed to be four of them?"_

 _As if on cue, someone emerged from the alley just in front of them, his gun pointing straight at the suit of armor. Footsteps were quickly approaching behind them._

" _Al!"_

 _All he could see was a blue uniform jump in front of him as a single shot rang out into the night._

 _ ***end flashback***_

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!"

Al stood up as the First Lieutenant approached him. Ed remained in his chair, which was to be expected considering he had fallen asleep.

"Is the Colonel—"

"He's fine, Alphonse," Riza assured the worried alchemist. "The bullet just grazed his side. He had to get some stitches and will need to take it easy for a couple of days, but that's it. He'll be going home tonight."

Al instantly perked up.

"Really? That's so good to hear…." He briefly looked to the ground before setting his gaze back on the First Lieutenant. "Would it be all right…can I see him?"

Riza's lips curved into a small grin.

"I don't see why not. I'll take you to his room."

His heavy footsteps echoed as the two walked through the halls. They stopped when they reached the door to the Colonel's room.

"Why don't you go on in?" Riza suggested. "I'll see if I can get started on the discharge papers."

Before the younger Elric could say anything else, she was already walking down the hall. He stared at the door in front of him. Hesitantly, he opened it and gasped at the sight of Roy struggling to put on his shirt. The man grit his teeth as he tried to put his left arm through the sleeve, causing a few droplets of sweat to form on his forehead.

It took Roy a couple of seconds to notice him.

"Alphonse?"

"Don't strain yourself! Let me help you!"

He made his way over to the injured Colonel, his gaze never leaving the bandage that covered his side. Grabbing the shirt, he held it out so Roy could easily slip his arm in.

"Thanks," came a defeated sigh.

Al kept a gentle, metal hand on the man's shoulder as he slipped his right arm through the other sleeve and buttoned up his shirt.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye told me you had to get stitches. She'd probably be upset if she saw you straining yourself like that."

The Colonel smirked ruefully.

"That's why I waited until she left. In my defense, I truly thought I wouldn't need the help…." Roy trailed off when he realized the metal hand was still on his shoulder. "Al, is everything—"

"Why did you do it?" he couldn't help but ask. "Why did you jump in front of me like that? The bullet would've just ricocheted off me."

Roy's eyebrows quirked a bit as he actually thought about it. He chuckled.

"I guess you're right. I wasn't thinking."

That response only angered the younger Elric.

"You have to be more careful, Colonel! There are a lot of people counting on you. I'm just a suit of armor. I don't need you to—"

"Don't you ever say that again!" The metal hand finally left his shoulder as Al backed away a few steps when the Colonel raised his voice. "You have to know that's not true, Al."

"But, sir…it is true. There are several people counting on you."

"That's not what I meant."

A tense silence hung in the air between the two alchemists. Al eventually looked down at the floor, unable to hold the Colonel's gaze. He couldn't stand looking into the fire present in the man's eyes. The fire that he only ever saw when his brother's commanding officer sincerely meant something.

The same fire that he'd seen every time his brother got reprimanded for not following orders. The same fire that was there when they both did something dangerous.

"Al."

He continued to stare at the floor.

"Alphonse."

He finally looked back up at Roy.

"You're not just a suit of armor. You're a person. Just like me. Just like your brother."

"But…but I don't have a body."

"That doesn't make you any less human."

He remained silent, genuinely at a loss for words. The Colonel stood up, and he couldn't help but notice the grimace Roy tried and failed to keep from crossing his face. He watched as the man reached out and put a hand on his chest plate.

"You still have a soul, Alphonse, one of the kindest souls I have ever met. It's easy to forget you're practically indestructible for now. When I saw that man raise that gun at you…I just can't stand to think about any of my men getting hurt."

He shifted slightly.

"I'm not even part of the military, Colonel."

"But that doesn't mean you're not part of my team."

"Sir," Riza greeted as she entered into the room. "I've filled out all the paperwork. I should be able to take you home soon."

Al could see the tension release in the man's shoulders and a grin spread across his face.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Roy turned to him. "Will you and Fullmetal be needing a ride back to the dorms?"

He shook his head.

"It's not a far walk from here, and it's no trouble at all for me to carry brother."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"I'm sure. Thank you though, Colonel. Please take it easy and get better soon!"

With that, he left the two military officers and made his way back to the waiting room. For the first time, he didn't mind the clanking of metal with each and every step he took.

 _"That doesn't make you any less human."_

He didn't mind having to move out of the way so doctors and nurses could get down the hall.

 _"But that doesn't mean you're not part of my team."_

Because he knew the Colonel was right.

Because he was more than just a suit of armor.

 **Well, there it is! This happened at some point in the series, and no one can convince me otherwise. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little fic! I certainly enjoyed writing it! The next chapters of "Depths of the Abyss" and "The Sun Still Rises" are in the works! Summer class is over so I have time to write a bit before the semester begins in a couple of weeks.**

 **Until next time,**

 **alightintheshadows**


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